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Russian political thinker, bereaved father Alexander Dugin is in the hospital after the assassination of his beloved daughter, political commentator Darya Dugin, according to political analyst Sergei Markov. 

"Poor Alexander Dugin. He is in the hospital now. Our huge condolences," he posted on his Telegram channel.

In an exclusive interview for Al Mayadeen, the expert in Russian affairs Bassam Al-Bunni confirmed that there are reports that Alexander Dugin was rushed to the hospital after suffering from a nervous breakdown following the assassination of his daughter.

صدمة المفكر الروسي #ألكسندر_دوغين بعد رؤيته سيارة ابنته التي انفجرت بالقرب من قرية بولشي فيازيوما.#روسيا pic.twitter.com/sT0tDG0poh

— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) August 21, 2022

On her account, a spokesperson for Russia's Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova posted via Telegram that “if any Ukrainian link was found, it would amount to state terrorism."

Earlier, a large explosion tore into an SUV on a highway 20 km away west of Moscow, instantly killing its driver, who was identified as political commentator Darya Dugina, Russian political analyst and thinker Alexander Dugin's daughter. Dugin the father is an influential veteran political commentator, also known as one of the Kremlin's "ideological masterminds" and an occasional contributor to Al Mayadeen English.

The assassination was carried out at 21:35 Moscow time. Witnesses divulged that the explosion happened in the middle of the road, where debris and metal wreckage scattered in the air right before the car crashed into a fence, according to photos and videos.

According to emergency services, there was only one person inside the car, and it was a female body burned beyond recognition. 

Multiple Russian media sources and Telegram channels have reported that the victim was Darya Dugina, 30. According to videos circulating social media, her father arrived at the scene just after the explosion, devastated.

On Saturday evening, Dugin was giving a lecture in Moscow on "Tradition and History" at a traditional family festival in Moscow; Dugina attended the event as a guest. Reports are claiming that Dugin planned to leave the festival with his daughter, but instead took a separate car. Darya took her father's Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.

On its account, the investigative committee of the Russian Federation reported that an explosive device that was planted under the car went off and the vehicle caught fire. It is worth noting that Forensic and explosive experts are still investigating the incident.

Darya, in July 2022, was placed on the UK sanctions list. Her father in 2014 and 2015 was sanctioned by the EU, US, and Canada.

Anti-Russian hate speech 

Anti-Russian hate speech has gone viral on social media with no restrictions and amid multiple incidents of violence in this context reported.

In one instance, Meta said in a statement in March that it has decided to allow the publication of calls for violence against Russians.

The attempt to kill Dugin, Russia’s philosopher, resulted in the death of his daughter, that is cheered in the Ukrainian and western segments of social media does nothing but two things:
• raises the level of hatred to extreme among the Russians
and
• leaves no illusions

— Maria Dubovikova (@politblogme) August 21, 2022

Russia’s Embassy in the United States responded to Meta’s change of policy, which was namely reflected on its Facebook and Instagram platforms, slamming it as “aggressive and criminal” and “outrageous”, because it allows for the “incitement of hatred and hostility towards Russians." Furthermore, the Embassy said the company’s actions present more evidence “of the information war without rules declared on our country.”

Read more: Russia prosecutes Google over not removing banned content

“Media corporations have become soldiers of the propaganda machine of the Western establishment," the Embassy’s statement read.

Facebook removed a post from the Russian Embassy to the UK’s Facebook page, in which it called into question the Western narrative of the attack on Mariupol hospital.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russia's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN yesterday said the hospital had been in fact transformed into a base for Ukrainian nationalists targeting Russian troops.

Facebook removed the post under the pretense of it breaking the platform’s rules on "posting content about a violent tragedy, or victims of violent tragedies that include claims that a violent tragedy did not occur.”

Read next: You're doing yourself a "disservice" following only Western media